Plummer Calls it a Career

A long, bizarre day has ended with Jake Plummer announcing his retirement.

After being traded to Tampa Bay earlier Saturday, Plummer posted a message on his charitable foundation's website saying his retirement was official.

"I want to thank my family and close friends for their loyal support through these fun-filled, roller-coaster years," he wrote. "Secondly, I owe all of my greatest achievements in football to the men who stood by me as teammates and coaches.

"Football has been awesome to me in many ways. I leave the game with my health and happiness and look forward to the future. I've got many rivers to cross."

We've learned Plummer filed his paperwork for retirement on Friday, but the process is not yet complete. It's expected to be be finalized early in the week. Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said earlier in the day the team was hoping Plummer would have a change of heart.

Plummer's decision to step away won't really affect the Bucs, though it's unclear whether they'll still lose the conditional 2008 draft pick they gave up to get him. For the Bucs, there will be no financial or salary-cap implications if he proceeds with retirement.

With Plummer likely out of the picture, the quarterback position will be a two-man race in training camp between returner Chris Simms, who is coming off a season-ending injury, and veteran Jeff Garcia, who signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on Saturday.

And with that, it's time to catch up on some sleep. Been a long few days on the Bucs beat.

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